A Coast Guard photo shows an oil slick as marine fuel oil leaks from a barge into the Houston Ship Channel on March 22. / Coast Guard via European Pressphoto Agency

by John Bacon, USA TODAY

by John Bacon, USA TODAY

Three cruise ships were among scores of boats trapped by an "extremely serious" oil spill that closed the shipping channel connecting Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico for a second day Sunday, the Coast Guard said.

On Saturday, a barge carrying almost 1 million gallons of heavy oil collided with a ship in the Houston Ship Channel at Texas City. A barge tank containing 168,000 gallons of oil was breached.

On Sunday, the barge was cleared of its remaining contents after about a fifth of its cargo leaked. Oil from the ruptured barge had been detected 12 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico as of Sunday afternoon.

Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Sam Danus said Sunday that crews were skimming up the thick, gooey oil, but that it was not clear when the channel could reopen. More than six miles of containment booms were being used to protect sensitive wetlands and wildlife habitats.

Two cruise ships and 25 other vessels were waiting to enter the channel from the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday. One cruise ship and 34 other boats were waiting to leave Galveston Bay.

Coast Guard officials did allow two cruise ships to travel through the incident area by late Sunday afternoon to minimize inconvenience to the thousands of passengers aboard and limit economic impacts from the spill. However, neither vessel will be allowed to leave the port again until deemed safe to do so.

Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Jim Ritterbusch and Associates in Chicago, said if the bottleneck of vessels eased in a day or so, there probably wouldn't be much impact on fuel prices. A more prolonged backup could push up prices briefly, he suggested.

There was no timetable for a total reopening of the channel, which typically handles as many as 80 vessels daily.

Officials report that the first recovery of oiled birds occurred Sunday afternoon. Fewer than 10 affected birds were sighted and recovered for transfer to a wildlife rehabilitation facility established by the Unified Command. Protection of the environment remains a high priority and responders are working in tandem with Texas Parks and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Wildlife Response Services to respond to new reports that should arise.

The Texas General Land Office also has deployed a bird rehabilitation trailer in the area for quick response to impacted wildlife.

The Texas City dike, a popular fishing spot that goes out into the Gulf for a few miles, is also closed.

Lee Rilat, 58, owns Lee's Bait and Tackle, the last store before the access road to the dike, which was blocked by a police car Sunday. If it weren't for the spill, Rilat's business would be hopping.

"This would be the first spring deal, the first real weekend for fishing," said Rilat. He said ships and barges have collided before, but this is the first time - at least this year - that someone has sprung a leak. His wife, Brenda Rilat, said sea fog was hanging over the bay Saturday.

Guard officials received a call Saturday afternoon from the captain of the 585-foot bulk carrier Summer Wind reporting a collision with a barge. The barge contained 924,000 gallons of fuel oil, towed by the motor vessel Miss Susan.

"It is an extremely serious spill," said Coast Guard Capt. Brian Penoyer said shortly after the spill was reported. "There is a large quantity, it will spread."

Miss Susan was moving from Texas City to Bolivar at the time of the collision. Kirby Inland Marine, owner of the Miss Susan and the barges, activated an emergency response plan.

Six crewmembers of the Miss Susan were injured; none suffered life-threatening injuries, the Coast Guard said.

"As a citizen and resident of the bay area, I am very concerned about the incident," said Jim Guidry of Kirby Inland Marine. "We are concerned about the effective clean-up and protection of the environment."

The Bolivar ferry remains closed to traffic, and a safety zone, established on Saturday to ensure the well-being of response workers and prevent the further spread of oil, was extended along the Houston Ship Channel. This safety zone restricts the transit of vessels not involved in the response from entering the area.